Expedition Overview
Expedition Overview
SPECIAL OFFERS
- Fourth Person Goes Free
The fourth person travels free with 3 full fare paying guests on select 2023 departures. Offer applicable only on bookings of 2 double-occupancy cabins, and the second cabin must be in same category or lower as the first cabin. Valid for new bookings only, subject to availability, not applicable on airfare or extensions, and is not combinable with other offers. Call for details.
Available Departures- May 13-20, 2023
- May 20-27, 2023
- May 21-28, 2023
- May 27-Jun 3, 2023
- May 28-Jun 4, 2023
- Air Credit on Select 2023 & 2024 Expedition Cruise Departures
Book by April 30, 2023 and receive a $700 air credit per person on select departures. Valid for new bookings only, subject to availability. Call for details.
Available Departures- May 13-20, 2023
- May 20-27, 2023
- May 21-28, 2023
- May 27-Jun 3, 2023
- May 28-Jun 4, 2023
- Aug 19-26, 2023
- Aug 20-27, 2023
- Aug 27-Sep 3, 2023
- The National Geographic Quest and National Geographic Venture are each equipped with a fleet of expedition landing craft and kayaks, allowing for in-depth exploration of icebergs, calving glaciers and hidden coves.
- Glimpse Alaska’s seldom-seen marine life alongside our undersea specialist and listen to communication among whales with the ship’s hydrophone.
- Hear a Tlingit cultural interpreter share indigenous knowledge, culture and history of the region.
- Meet members of the Alaska Whale Foundation to learn about the behaviors of the area's whale population.
- NEW! Enjoy complimentary beer and wine while aboard the ship.
Itinerary
Itinerary
Experience the remarkable beauty of southeast Alaska on a voyage aboard the National Geographic Quest or National Geographic Venture. Discover a rugged landscape of mist-shrouded fjords, tidewater glaciers, and islands teeming with wildlife—from bald eagles and brown bears to orcas and humpback whales. Kayak into secluded inlets and around dramatic icebergs, spend a full day in spectacular Glacier Bay National Park, and learn firsthand about Alaska’s rich Native American heritage.
This trip is operated in collaboration with Lindblad Expeditions.
Enjoy a tour of the Juneau area before embarking the ship.
National Geographic Venture or National Geographic Quest
Voyage into Tracy or Endicott Arm, both spectacular glacially carved fjords. See the soaring South Sawyer or Dawes Glacier up close, and take a cruise in an expedition landing craft for an unbeatable view of sculpted icebergs. Keep an eye out for harbor seals, porpoises, and arctic terns.
Search for humpback whales as we head toward the small town of Petersburg on Mitkof Island, founded more than a hundred years ago by Norwegian fishermen. Explore Southeast Alaska’s muskeg, an area with stunted trees and carnivorous plants. There is an opportunity for bike riding (weather permitting). Enjoy a crab feast for dinner this evening.
These waters often offer great whale watching. Look for Steller sea lions stretched out on the rocky islands that dot the channels, and take a walk with naturalists along a quiet forest trail or kayak in the area's tiny coves. Meet members of the Alaska Whale Foundation (their schedule permitting)—whose work is supported by a grant from the Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic Fund—and discuss some of their recent discoveries about the region's marine mammal population.
Cruise among the Inian Islands, where an upwelling of undersea organisms attracts an abundance of marine life. Hike nearby islands, kayak, and search for marine mammals in the rich waters off Icy Strait. Conditions permitting, we’ll lower the ship’s hydrophone to listen in on whale communication.
By special permit, explore Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve today. See glaciers that end abruptly at the water’s edge and observe them calving—when tons of ice crash into the sea. Wilderness abounds—mountain goats and brown bears patrol the shore and harbor seals, Steller sea lions, and puffins swim in these icy waters. A native Tlingit interpreter joins us to discuss Alaskan indigenous culture and will offer insights on the natural world.
Today, nature is our guide. We may explore an isolated beach to go beachcombing and peer into tide pools, by special permission hike stunning forest trails in the Tongass National Forest or see bear tracks worn into the soil while walking through an isolated meadow. Sightings of bald eagles are very common. If conditions permit, we’ll go kayaking, always watching for marine and terrestrial life.
After breakfast, disembark in Sitka, Southeast Alaska’s only oceanfront town. Visit the onion-domed St. Michael’s Russian Orthodox Cathedral. At the Alaska Raptor Center, get an up-close view of species normally seen at a distance. Drive to the airport for your flight home.